MUSIC REVIEW: Taj Mahal performs diverse, superb set in Beverly

Greg Phipps @swampscott_rep

Monday

Jun 4, 2018 at 12:44 AM

Blues-rock vocalist-guitarist Taj Mahal once said music was intended for people to move to and that he preferred doing outdoor shows because, oftentimes, indoor audiences were forced to sit and observe the proceedings as if they were watching television.

That quote seemed fairly apropos Saturday night at the Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly when, at one point, a small contingent of fans approached the front of the stage and began to dance along to the music. Due to venue rules, security politely escorted the group away from the spot. This prompted a noticeable chorus of boos from the crowd.

Seated in the center portion of the stage surrounded by his guitars, Mahal himself reacted to the brief episode, saying he understood the reason for not allowing people to block the front stage view for the rest of the audience.

"But there's no place for people to dance and I don't like that," he said. "I've always believed the audience is part of the performance."

The dance devotees did eventually find a location along the side aisles and moved about to their heart's content while Mahal and the rest of his trio - bassist Bill Rich and drummer Kester Smith - entertained with a diverse and superb display of blues-rock, R&B and world music. Grammy Award winner Mahal has recorded 28 albums during a career that dates back to the 1960s.

Having grown up in Springfield, Mass., Mahal humorously referred to himself as "a Masshole" before venturing into versions of "C.C. Rider" and "Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes." On several occasions he boisterously inquired as to whether the gathering was "having fun yet?" The crowd responded in kind by clapping along and shouting out its approval during performances of blues favorites such as "Slow Drag" and "Satisfied 'N' Tickled Too."

A great instrumental featuring Mahal's astounding banjo led to him saying afterward that the selection was "designed to wake up" the audience's "Celtic sensibilities." After performing "Fishin' Blues," Mahal received a raucous cheer when he became dissatisfied with the tuning of an acoustic guitar and switched over to mandolin before delving into one of his Caribbean-influenced pieces.

Mahal's eccentric vocal improvisations and Ella Fitzgerald-style scat singing also enhanced the show and got a rise from the fans.

After introducing Rich and Smith, Mahal mentioned that some blues artists play the music in its traditional form "which is good because it gets people who haven't heard it to hear it for the first time." He went on to explain that he and his band mates over the years have wanted to "move along and do something different with [the blues]."

Some of the night's other highlights included renditions of "Good Morning Miss. Brown," "Queen Bee," "Going Up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue" and the show's final song "Everybody is Somebody." The threesome happily waved and bowed before exiting and did not return for an encore, which was the evening's one disappointment.

The Jamie MacLean Band was scheduled to open the show but MacLean ended up performing solo. As part of his nine-song set, MacLean presented animated versions of his songs "Virginia," "Spirit," and "Summertime On Main Street."

MacLean was well-received by the audience but said before his final tune that he'll "get out of the way and watch Taj with the rest of you." One audience member shouted out "we like you," which drew a big smile from MacLean.